Weight Gain from Stress

fatvegan88
fatvegan88 Posts: 71 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
Ok, I know, I get math. Calories in and Calories out that's how you lose weight right?

But I'm off work for a month right now and I'm finding it so easy to lose weight. I eat and I exercise just like before but I have a high stress job and I'm finding I just feel well less stressed out.

What do you think about weight gain and stress? I know cortisol levels play a huge role in our eating habits. Just want to know what other people think.

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    Some people lose weight when faced with a highly stressful life event. I know I would "forget to eat". Everyone is different. Maybe mild stress makes a person gain weight, and high stress life event makes them lose weight? Good question.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    Cortisol does have some impact, but weight changes are more dependent on a person's habits. I don't eat when I am stressed. Which is part of why I am trying to gain lol. Other people tend to do the opposite.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    Stress not only makes me want to eat more...it makes me want to eat more high-calorie "comfort" foods.

    For example: At work, there is a freezer full of Haagan Daz ice cream bars that we are free to take. On a normal day, I steer clear without much trouble. On a long, stressful day? All I want is one of those ice cream bars and I'd push down old ladies to get at them. So, yeah, stress eating is definitely a thing for some people.
  • fatvegan88
    fatvegan88 Posts: 71 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Stress not only makes me want to eat more...it makes me want to eat more high-calorie "comfort" foods.

    For example: At work, there is a freezer full of Haagan Daz ice cream bars that we are free to take. On a normal day, I steer clear without much trouble. On a long, stressful day? All I want is one of those ice cream bars and I'd push down old ladies to get at them. So, yeah, stress eating is definitely a thing for some people.

    Wow, I would not have the will power to work there lol

  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
    fatvegan88 wrote: »
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Stress not only makes me want to eat more...it makes me want to eat more high-calorie "comfort" foods.

    For example: At work, there is a freezer full of Haagan Daz ice cream bars that we are free to take. On a normal day, I steer clear without much trouble. On a long, stressful day? All I want is one of those ice cream bars and I'd push down old ladies to get at them. So, yeah, stress eating is definitely a thing for some people.

    Wow, I would not have the will power to work there lol

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  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    A great number of people gain weight in high stress jobs. I don't propose to know why.

    About me and my job, which is moderately stressful and I have a personality that tends to shed stress without noticing it, my weight tends to rise between Sunday and Saturday, then it tends to fall between Friday and Monday.
    I may do more exercise on the weekend, but if I do I eat most of those calories that same day. I always eat most of my exercise calories the day I earn them.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Stress doesn't cause weight gain. If you eat more calories than you need as a way of dealing with stress you will gain weight.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Did you by chance eat lunch at the workplace cafeteria or similar and estimate the amount of calories in the food you got there vs. now that you're not working cooking at home and having a better overview of your calories?
  • fatvegan88
    fatvegan88 Posts: 71 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    Did you by chance eat lunch at the workplace cafeteria or similar and estimate the amount of calories in the food you got there vs. now that you're not working cooking at home and having a better overview of your calories?

    No the school cafeteria is gross lol

  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    It might be less of an issue of stress and more that since you're not at work, you're doing more moving around in your day to day activity, thereby increasing your NEAT :). Stress itself can contribute to poor sleep, which can play havoc with your hormones, which can make you hold onto things like water weight, which can mask fat loss over time. So, maybe once you let go of that stress, you're body is just regulating itself better, combined with more NEAT based movement, giving you a bigger deficit. Yay!
  • SiegfriedXXL
    SiegfriedXXL Posts: 219 Member
    If eating excess calories is your coping mechanism for stress than you will gain weight. I'm dealing with high levels of stress in my life right now and I want to eat ALL the things. I've been successful in resisting and have found that exercising helps not only relieve stress but provide me with some few extra calories should I need a small extra treat. We are in control of our actions and reactions to situations and thank God for that.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Stress doesn't make me gain, but I tend to find it harder not to do things that lead to gain when stressed and when dealing with things that often go along with stress (like poor or little sleep).
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    The coping skills we learn/practice from an early age impact our stress responses well in to our lives. I have a tendency to overeat and oversleep when too stressed, both of which impact my weight loss efforts.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    edited August 2017
    fatvegan88 wrote: »
    Ok, I know, I get math. Calories in and Calories out that's how you lose weight right?

    But I'm off work for a month right now and I'm finding it so easy to lose weight. I eat and I exercise just like before but I have a high stress job and I'm finding I just feel well less stressed out.

    What do you think about weight gain and stress? I know cortisol levels play a huge role in our eating habits. Just want to know what other people think.
    Skinny people have stress too. They just don't use eating to destress.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • shan11180
    shan11180 Posts: 110 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    fatvegan88 wrote: »
    Ok, I know, I get math. Calories in and Calories out that's how you lose weight right?

    But I'm off work for a month right now and I'm finding it so easy to lose weight. I eat and I exercise just like before but I have a high stress job and I'm finding I just feel well less stressed out.

    What do you think about weight gain and stress? I know cortisol levels play a huge role in our eating habits. Just want to know what other people think.
    Skinny people have stress too. They just don't use eating to destress.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    I understand that skinny people have stress; and don't always use eating to de-stress, but I wonder if, for a lot of people, it's a learned habit/skill. Some people work out when they are stressed. (I wish I was one of them!) But is that, or has that always been the norm for them? Some: yes, most likely. Others? Probably not.

    I personally have learned that when my stress hits a certain level, my body essentially shuts down on me. I sleep, eat, sleep, eat, and sleep some more. Sometimes I even get sick. Sometimes I don't even eat, just get sick and sleep. When I do eat, I guarantee it's not vegetables and salad!
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